Lying Hope

Mysteriously, hope is a thing that either we wrestle with, or that we let slip away. We are either praying to God that things get easier and we can stop all this clamoring to get what we need- what we hope for; or we are settle in for the journey and let ourselves lie with hope. This might mean that we are lying to ourselves that we really are hopeful when in fact we are actually hating every second of our plight, or we may actually be resting in hope and letting it guide us.

Hope sits with us through many things in life. We hope we get asked to the dance by the guy we like. We hope we will fit into our favorite jeans. We hope our friends will be faithful through our trials. We hope we don't get sick. We hope we find a job we love that pays us well and that we enjoy. We hope that when our finances faulter we will have the ability to bounce back. It seems our "hope list" lengthens with every breath we take. Like wrestling with a fish, it seems hope can often wiggle its way into worry. Living with hope transforms us into trusting ourselves, trusting our God, and trusting those we love.

We live in a world full of failure, disappointment, lost causes, and defeat. We love gossip and to hear when another person is down- simply to lift us up, and to give us hope that we are not alone.

Hope. How we handle hope is how we handle everything. Are you willing to believe that things can be different? Will you trust that when you decide to change, you have the power to do it? Can you act in faith that you have a story that matters and that what you do with your hope can impact not only the positive outcome of your life, but of the lives around you? What do you believe? Who do you or can you trust? Don't just lie down to resignation and fear. REST in hope by lying with it for awhile and living in trust.

Do you Dare??

How dare you think you are beautiful? What with the amount of movie stars and popular girls out there who have their perfect pair of jeans...that fit, and the bigger boobs, and their makeup or hair so polished no matter what time of day it is. Isn't it easy to compare ourselves to other women and wish we had what they have? We miss the opportunity to love ourselves and to uplift one another.

We wonder if there is something more we could do, if we would just exercise more, or eat a little less. What about that article in People...didn't it say I should wear boots with these to make my butt look better? We obsess over ourselves and jealously salivate over other women. The posture is one of inferiority or rage, either way, it puts us in a place where we are not enough.

In 2004, I helped with medical services for the women's 3-day walk in Chicago. It changed my life to be a part of women lifting each other up in hope and love, struggling for the ability to help a sister in need. We might bake a dinner for a friend or watch her kids from time to time when she is struggling, but when was the last time you fought for your heart to be free to love other women so that they might prosper beyond you? I doubt any of us would volunteer that we are petty enough to succumb to jealousy, spite, competitiveness, or bitterness...but it these are probably some of the cornerstone pitfalls for women. This test could give you a clue if you aren't sure if you really are that much of a jealous person. But what would change about your life if rather than feeling jealousy, envy, rage, etc, you instead laid it down and start to increase our security in ourselves? Do you dare to believe you are beautiful, good enough, and valuable just as you are? Wrestle those mental demons down and stand up for your heart, dear friend. Constantly comparing yourself will only take you down to another persons level. You are who you are for a very special and specific reason. Own it!